Fabrics geared towards athletes are designed to wick sweat away from the body so they don't feel drenched. But the fabric is still wet and weighed down with perspiration. To really feel dry, researchers at UC Davis have developed a fabric with channels that literally drain sweat away. Gross and awesome.

The fabric, made from hydrophobic threads, also kind of works like human skin, pooling sweat into droplets. But the real innovation is a series of woven channels made from water-attracting hydrophilic threads that then carry those droplets to other parts of the garment where they can more easily evaporate. The system even keeps working when the fabric is completely soaked, so if you're completely stressing a big job interview, your armpits won't give it away. [UC Davis via Gizmag]

Humans see the world through a pair of high resolution, single lens eyes that allow us to adjust focus and pinpoint fine details. But simpler creatures, like insects, instead rely on compound eyes that have lower resolution but offer a much wider distortion-free field-of-view that's actually better suited for lightning fast motion perception. And as researchers work towards designing autonomous drones that will behave like futuristic artificial bugs, it's only fitting that they also work to replicate how an insect sees.

Of course understanding and recreating Mother Nature has always been one of our biggest challenges, but a research project known as the Curvace believes it's created a prototype artificial compound eye that comes pretty damn close to the real thing. Composed of three separate layers including an array of microlenses sitting atop an array of photodetectors, the Curvace promises to provide drones with an incredibly wide field of vision that will allow the craft to navigate obstacles even in the dark of night.

The compound eye won't be used for capturing surveillance footage or images, that will still require a camera with higher resolutions so the images can be analyzed. But will instead serve as a robust, low-power way for a drone to autonomously navigate its surroundings, and more importantly, be immediately alerted to incoming threats.

[Curvace via IEEE Spectrum]

After Halloween revelers desperately wanted to buy his impressively detailed Daft Punk helmet (Thomas Bangalter version) Mauricio Santoro realized he could probably make a few bucks from his creation. So he got a small production line going and is now selling the helmets on Etsy for $500 until they run out, or until Columbia Records catches wind of it.

Made from chromed plastic urethane so it shines with a mirror finish, the helmet also features a set of scrolling red LEDs that can be programmed via a USB connection to your PC. It even comes with a black balaclava to cover your neck and help sell the effect, but finding a dapper black suit to complete the outfit is left up to you.

[Etsy]

Are you ready to have your heart broken? The GIF-TY camera, designed and built by Jiho Jang as part of his college thesis, is an adorable Polaroid-like snapper that captures animated GIFs and actually prints them out as tiny flipbooks on instant Z-ink paper. Except that for the time being, you can't buy one.

Sure, they're not as easy to share as posting an animated GIF to your Facebook or Twitter feeds. But as anyone who's ever vandalized a textbook with a tiny animation in the page corners will tell you, there's just something undeniable appealing about playing with an actual flipbook. It's just too bad the only GIF-TY in existence is in Jang's hands, and until he graduates, there's little hope of this being commercialized. [YouTube via Taxi]

There are endless metrics a store has access to when it comes to when, what, and who is buying merchandise. But surprisingly, there's not a heck of a lot of data on why a customer decides not to buy something. So Fujitsu is hoping its new Kinect-based research tool provides more insight into how customers browse, and why they may decide against a purchase.

The system obviously can't tell what a customer is thinking. But through detailed analysis of their body language and how they respond to a given item, or multiple items, stores will get a bit of insight into their customers' decision making processes. And this in turn might help the store better display, or provide more information on a given product that could help further influence a customer's final purchase decision. [DigInfo TV]

Thelma's, an Iowa-based cookie delivery service named after the founder's great-grandmother, contracted Saturday MFG. to create this utterly brilliant packaging that not only keeps the treats warm, but also gives the impression that they're fresh from the oven.

It's almost impossible to look at that box and not crave a batch of Thelma's snickerdoodle cookies. Even a batch made from Marmite would seem irresistible if this is how they were delivered. [Saturday MFG. via The Dieline]

In an effort to make how robots move and interact with humans feel less awkward and uncomfortable, Disney Research, working with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, are developing a more natural approach to the problem by thoroughly studying how humans interact.

In fact, using motion capture suits, the study was taken one step further. The goal of this particular research was to improve how a robot gives, or takes something from a human. So the researchers recorded two humans going through the motions of passing an object between them, and this was then compiled into a database that a robot can use to recognize when it's being given something, and automatically reach out to receive it without delay.

There's still quite a bit of finessing needed to make the actual handoff seem far more lifelike, but in addition to making the animatronic inhabitants at the Disney parks a little less creepy, the research promises to improve how our future robot maids and butlers interact with us. [Disney Research via Gizmag]

The simple form and function of a Zippo lighter has made it an incredibly iconic design. But it could soon be supplanted by Alessi if the Italian houseware manufacturer prices its new Sushi lighter to compete with the Zippo. That, or convince a Hollywood producer to have an action hero prominently use it in an upcoming blockbuster.

Designed by Rodrigo Torres, the pocketable Sushi comes in a small selection of colors reminiscent of how KitchenAid tints its appliances, and it's no coincidence. Alessi and Torres wanted to emphasize the lighter was designed for domestic use around the home, not as a tough-as-nails outdoor accessory. And in the process it looks like they turned a mundane candle accessory into an object that's more mesmerizing to look at than a flickering flame.

[Rodrigo Torres via Behance via Notcot]

Robert Burden, an artist living in San Francisco, has an affinity for immortalizing his favorite childhood action figures as gigantic oil paintings that makes them seem larger than life. His latest piece, The Autobot, which gives Optimus Prime the glory he so readily deserves, took over 1,000 hours to complete. And thankfully for us, Robert captured the entire process in an awesome two and a half minute timelapse.

And here's the final version that you can embiggen and take in all the tiny details Robert added, including an actual Optimus Prime figure embedded in the bottom of the picture frame. If this doesn't get a wall in the Guggenheim, it will be a great disservice to this artist, the Autobots, and our nation.

If you want a Curiosity rover of your own but don't quite have NASA's budget, you can save yourself $2,499,999,850 by going with designer Arnold Patrick Martin's beautiful wooden model. It doesn't move, the cameras don't work, and it probably won't survive a trip to Mars, but it's also only $150.

And believe it or not, in a time when manufacturing is made so much easier with 3D printers and laser cutters, Martin actually hand cuts all 120 pieces of this model with a scroll saw. So if you were wondering why it's $150, there's your answer. [Etsy via Technabob]

Great news for anyone who's ever felt ignored by snooty Gap employees that seem more interested in what's happening in their headsets than their customers. To celebrate its one year anniversary, ROS Industrial put together this highlight reel of its robots in action, including a bit showing this arm deftly folding a shirt.

The demo is meant to show off the robot's capabilities, but like with most industries it also demonstrates that humans can be easily replaced. In fact, all it needs is a vintage hat and a few more tattoos and the arm should easily breeze through the interview process. [ROS Industrial via IEEE Spectrum]

Is there anything more embarrassing than only realizing there's a slight wrinkle in your tie once you get to work? What will your co-workers think, that you actually wear your clothing? Oh, the horror. Thankfully, you can avoid that nightmare with this compact pocket-sized iron that eradicates wrinkles like a hair straightener.

Powered by three AA batteries the iron is certainly a convenient way to smooth out a skirt or a shirt when you're away from home, but due to its size it looks even more tedious than using an actual iron. But for just $10 it could mean the difference between a callback on that job interview, or being tossed out onto the street by the receptionist for looking like a wrinkled bum.

[ESupply via DamnGeeky]

How's this for a brilliant marketing campaign? To help sell the notion that there's no better way to spend an evening than with a pizza and a movie, Dominos in Brazil created custom DVDs with a heat-reactive flavored varnish that actually smelled like pizza once they were played.

The DVDs, which included such popular titles as Argo and The Dark Knight Rises, were distributed at movie rental shops in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. And to further drive the point home, the discs were also printed with a thermal ink so not only did they smell like pizza when removed from a DVD player, they also looked like one too with the message: "Did you enjoy the movie? The next one will be even better with a hot and delicious Domino's Pizza." Who could possibly resist? [Creativity Online via Taxi]